Today is the State Jazz Festival sponsored by the Iowa HIgh School Music Association and the Greene County High School has been chosen to host regional bands again.

Band Director Becky Greiner says 11 bands will be at the high school auditorium from 4:30-9:30pm tonight including their jazz band.  The public is invited to watch each performance with bands from Class 1A through 4A represented from as far away as Humboldt and Denison-Schleswig.

She explains what each jazz band will be going through during the evening.

“They perform for three judges and a clinician.  And the three judges rate them one through five and then they move to the band room and then a clinician works with them for a half an hour.  So it’s a great festival.”

The Greene County jazz band will perform at 7:30pm and the three songs are A Nasty Bit of Blues, Crystal Science and Sidewinder.

Greiner talks about how important it is for her students to play in front of a hometown crowd and the progression they’ve made since their district competition in December.

“Well, very important to them.  And to tell you the truth, they performed in December, did not place at SCIBA (South Central Iowa Bandmasters Association).  But we felt it was the best performance we had had from two years before.  So, at least we were going in the right direction.”

Anyone wishing to watch the performances will be charged an admission fee at the door.